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The Holidays would not be the same without this moist, delicious sweet bread. My mom makes her famous Cranberry Bread every Christmas and shares loaves and loaves with her lucky friends and neighbors. This fluffy bread is full of sweet cranberry sauce swirls and topped with a pecan glazed crust!

What makes this Cranberry Bread sooo good…

It’s amazingly fluffy. Using room temperature butter and eggs, when creamed with the sugar, creates air pockets in the baking process that lift this bread to fluffy goodness!
Two words: Sour. Cream. Need I say more? If you’ve baked with sour cream before, you know it gives sweets a rich and moist texture. It really elevates this sweet bread!
The cranberry and almond flavors compliment each other perfectly. There’s just the right amount of cranberry layered into the bread so that you get a taste in every bite!

My mom, Marilyn, is the absolute master of making this sweet bread! She’s been baking up these treats every Christmas for as long as I can remember. Sharing countless loaves with her friends and neighbors, she’s become famous for her Cranberry Bread – and for good reason! It’s just one of the best things you’ll ever eat!

We’ve always made them in mini loaves – more to share, feel less guilty when you eat half a loaf. I am a firm believer that sweet breads should always be baked in mini loaf size. Sweet breads generally have a moist, tender crumb and are almost cake-like. A smaller size, like the mini loaf, will bake more evenly all the way through than a large size loaf.

Use room temperature ingredients

Prepare to make this bread the right way by taking out your butter and eggs about an hour before mixing, allowing them come to room temperature. Don’t skip on this step! It’s crucial to achieve that fluffy texture!

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Also, get your sour cream measured out. We will be adding those alternately to the creamed mixture. Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Once it’s nice and incorporated, add the eggs one at a time. Cream for a full three minutes!

Mom’s tip for a successful Cranberry Bread

Marilyn’s number one tip is to be sure to cream your sugar, butter and eggs for the full 3 minutes! You’ll know you’ve done it right when you reach a whipped texture. That whipped texture will translate into the bread getting nice and fluffy when baked!

Next, you’ll add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately, mixing well after each addition. You’ll see it’s a nice fluffy batter. Add the almond flavoring and enjoy that heavenly aroma!

Now get ready for the fun part…assembling the layers of the bread. Layering the cranberry sauce instead of just mixing it into the batter will give it a much more concentrated flavor AND it will look prettier too. We’re using just the perfect amount of cranberry to make sure you get some in every bite!

There are a few different types of cranberry sauce on the market shelf. It’s really easy to grab the wrong one. Be sure you use “Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce”. Yes, it’s the kind that slides out in one big tin can mass. It will give you Thanksgiving flashbacks for sure! Be sure to break it up so that you can easily spread it.

It’s really going to be so yummy in the bread. It’s got whole pieces of cranberry, mixed with a sweet sauce…perfect for layering with sweet bread batter!

Creating the Layers

Layering the batter and cranberry sauce takes a bit of planning. As you create your layers, you need to keep in mind how much batter and sauce you need to reserve for each layer. Start by spreading a small amount in the bottom of the pan. Be sure you put a good base there to prevent the cranberry sauce from dripping through to the bottom of the loaf. There will be a total of two cranberry layers, beginning and ending with batter (giving you three batter layers). Top it off with a good sprinkling of chopped pecans!

A few words of wisdom

Do not fill the pans more than two thirds full. It will cause the batter to overflow and make a big mess in your oven. Avoid that all together by putting your loaf pans on a baking sheet to catch anything that might spill in the oven.

Some pans are slightly different in size. I get four of my mini loaves out of this recipe. A good rule of thumb, no matter how big your pans are, don’t go over the two thirds fill level. Keep to this and they’ll turn out great every time!

Fill all four pans simultaneously, instead of completing one at a time. This will allow you to be able to gauge how much batter and cranberry you are using, and prevent you from running out before filling all pans.

Cooling and Glazing

When the pans come out of the oven, let them cool for about five minutes while you prepare the glaze. Drizzle a good amount of glaze over each loaf while they’re still warm and in the pans. This almond flavored glaze is just the right amount of sweetness and holds those pecans in place too. Allow them to cool completely before removing.

This bread is very moist (I try to avoid using that word at all costs, but in this instance, I can’t describe it any other way!). It won’t slide right out of the pan. You will need to scrape the sides of the bread with a butter knife to loosen it up to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Turn it out onto a wire rack and let the bottom dry out a bit.

Slice it up and enjoy! Every. Single. Bite.

The best way to keep this bread fresh is by wrapping it in plastic wrap. But trust me, it won’t stay wrapped up for long, because it will be gone before you know it! I just can’t resist this scrumptious bread!

I also love to package them up in cellophane gift bags with a cute bow and share with my friends and neighbors for Christmas – just like my mom has for years!

Enjoy our favorite Holiday bread!